Altis-5: Book #2 of the Sleeper Series Read online

  about to do something that for most people took years

  of training and an intense selection process, yet she was

  about to do it as casually as taking a cab around the

  block. She was about to travel out into space, to the far

  side of Jupiter in fact. William climbed in alongside her

  and sat back comfortably, looking like he had done it a

  thousand times. How does he do that? she wondered. As Ray prepared for launch, William explained the

  seat restraint system and some of the capabilities of the

  Jaguar to Andrea. “You may have noticed that there are

  no control devices, switches or buttons. As soon as we

  move, your seat will contour around you and a bar will

  come out and fit in your lap. Ray will control this Jaguar

  via a mind link to the Systems Management Center. The

  SMC provides navigation, speed, scanning and weapons

  management tasks. He simply thinks a command or

  control function and the ship responds instantly. In his

  mind, he can see everything the SMC sees. Once we

  leave Earth’s atmosphere Ray can provide a holographic

  screen in front of us so we can monitor our progress.” Andrea looked out the side at the famous

  Manhattan skyline. “The ‘Windows’ on either side are

  three-dimensional video screens showing the world around us. So just sit back and relax, honey, this will be the smoothest ride you’ve ever had.” I will believe that when I see it, Andrea thought. She hated to fly, even the slightest turbulence made her nauseous. William sat back in his seat grinning like a Cheshire cat. Sounded like I knew what I was talking about, he thought smugly. Andrea looked across at him. Smarty Pants, flown once in this thing and he’s an expert already. As she smiled sweetly at him a slightly mechanical voice said, “Welcome aboard President and Mrs. Umberto. I am Marr, the Systems Management Center for this

  Jaguar, we are ready for launch.”

  Andrea reached over and took Williams’ hand. She

  felt the slightest uplift then jumped as the seats

  adjusted on cue. The sensation was of being hugged, it

  was very comforting and she relaxed. Andrea looked at

  the screen to her right. She could see New York below

  as the Jaguar slowly rose. She knew they were moving

  but felt nothing; it was like watching 3D TV.

  Marr automatically scanned for local air traffic and

  as soon as she was satisfied sent electronic pulses to the

  antigrav unit. The unit adjusted to the effect of Earth’s

  force of gravity and the Jaguar’s vertical ascent was

  accelerated. Once above ten thousand feet Marr

  increased the Jaguar’s vertical speed and within a few

  seconds the day turned into night. Marr sensed the lack

  of gravity as they passed out of Earth’s atmosphere,

  shutting down the antigrav system and engaging the

  Carvorite engine. She increased the agitation of the

  Carvorite plates to accelerate the flow of particles

  through the Venturi shaped engine duct as she received

  Ray’s mental command to maintain speed at.25 C. Andrea watched Earth shrink on the screen in front

  of her. Now this is the way to fly, she thought. She was

  traveling faster than she had ever before and yet felt as if she was relaxing in an overstuffed armchair. Checking the speed on the hologram in front of her she could see they were traveling at forty-six thousand miles per second or one quarter the speed of light. She looked over at her husband who was smiling at her. He was thinking the same thought he had had for 30 years, why would a beautiful woman like her want to be with me? She looked stunning, like she was on her way to a party

  instead of cruising through the vast emptiness of space. They had met at the U.N.; she was working as an

  intern for the World Health Organization while finishing

  her Ph.D. in Epidemiology. He had just finished his

  Masters in Political Science and was on his very first day

  as a staffer to an assistant’s assistant. There were no

  empty tables in the crowded cafeteria so they were

  forced to sit together. After a few minutes of polite

  conversation, they began to like each other and after

  comparing schedules arranged to meet for lunch the

  following week. The lunches turned into dates and now

  35 years, three children and seven grandchildren later

  here they were on their way to meet the Colonial

  Minister of the Hevinian Commonwealth who was waiting

  for them on the Command Ship of the huge alien fleet

  now only an hour away.

  “A couple of months ago who would have guessed

  we would be traveling in space to meet a high-ranking

  official of an alien race,” said Umberto to his wife. “They are not really aliens dear,” she said.

  “Technically they are more like cousins three times

  removed. They are human; it’s just that they have been

  around a bit longer than us.”

  “I am still trying to get my head around the fact

  that we developed from a race of humans millions of

  years older than us who came here 400,000 years ago,”

  said William.

  The discovery that there were other humans in the

  universe had changed everything for millions of people

  on Earth. To many, simply knowing that we are not

  alone in the universe and the fact that they are also

  human was extremely comforting. The leaders of the

  world’s largest religions were quick to point out that it

  was to be expected, they encouraged their believers to

  read their religious texts, to go to the very source of

  their religion where it is written that if their God created

  the Heavens as well as the Earth then they are all God’s

  children. Not everyone agreed, at least two extremist

  groups declared holy war on the aliens. One of the

  groups attempted to overrun an old Russian InterContinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) site on the Ukrainian

  border, convinced they could launch a missile at the

  Orion. Unfortunately for them the old silo had been

  emptied years ago and was now repurposed by the

  Russian mafia as a staging point for drugs destined for

  the west and was heavily guarded. They all vanished. The Russian Premier Anatoly Creskov said of the

  incident, “You don’t have to be smart to be an

  extremist, just extreme.”

  In general, most Earthers were fascinated by the

  Hevinians and Engineers were chomping at the bit to get

  their hands on their advanced technology. The Captain

  of the Hevinian Supply Ship Orion placed a moratorium

  on knowledge sharing until the fleet arrived so the issue

  could be deferred to the Colonial Minister.

  William was completely comfortable accepting the

  Hevinians. He had thought about it many years ago and

  had decided that it was possible for life to exist

  somewhere else in the universe and left it at that. He

  was pleasantly pleased however when they turned out to

  be human and it was one less problem. The President

  sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, there were times when he regretted taking on the job of interim President of the New World Confederation. He thought about the massive task ahead. Earth could no longer support the billions of people inhabiting the planet. The Hevinians had realized this through the reports of their agents, or sleepers, and had come to offer th
eir help in relocating almost a quarter of the population to a nearby habitable planet in the Altean system, which was the purpose of this meeting. There would be so much to do but what choice did they have; it was either relocate or die. He allowed himself to doze. Suddenly he heard

  Ray’s voice and was wide-awake.

  “Coming up on the Hevinian fleet, Mr. President.” William focused on his screen but saw only a dark,

  star filled blackness. “I don’t see anything.”

  “Yes, Sir. It is difficult to see black vessels against

  a black background. You have to look for what is not

  there,” said Ray.

  “I get it,” said Andrea. “You mean stars; look

  where there are no stars right? You cannot see the stars

  behind the ships.”

  “Correct, Mrs. Umberto,” answered Ray. “Let me

  show you what the scanning system sees.”

  The screen shimmered slightly and was filled with

  images of over a hundred ships; the smaller ones three

  or four times the size of Earth’s largest super tankers.

  The largest were over five miles wide.

  “The Command Ship is the smaller one in the

  center.”

  “We got here faster than I expected,” said

  Umberto, marveling at the sight.

  “Yes, Mr. President; by about 35 minutes. The fleet

  increased speed to meet us. By the way, if you look to

  your left you will see Jupiter, we are about half a million

  miles from her.” The left side of the cabin vanished, replaced immediately by an amazing close up view of the giant, gas covered planet. Andrea was startled by the effect. It was if the entire side of the ship had vanished. She placed her hand on the screen to reassure

  herself.

  “I know it seems as though you are looking outside

  with no walls around you, but remember it is just a

  visual; you are quite safe within the ships’ skin.” “It’s so beautiful,” gasped Andrea, in awe of the

  multicolored bands seen clearly rotating around the

  planet.

  “If you like that, watch this,” enthused Ray. “Say

  hello to Europa.”

  Andrea tightened her grip on William’s hand,

  enthralled at the sight of Jupiter’s Moon passing by at

  seemingly very close range.

  “We are about one hundred thousand miles from

  her. She is almost the same size as our Moon but seems

  bigger as we are much closer. You can make out the

  lines that crisscross the planet which are actually

  massive cracks in the ice that covers the surface.” The intercom came alive cutting short his tutorial.

  “Earth Jaguar, this is the Hevinian Command Vessel

  Janus,” the voice said in slightly accented English. “You

  are approaching head on, please alter course and

  approach to our right. Landing bay doors are open and

  lights are red.”

  “Thank you, Janus, I have a visual. Turning left

  now,” said Ray.

  The chatter was inconsequential as every move

  was monitored but some things are traditional. To the

  Hevinians voice communication is evidentiary backup in

  case of automation failure and subsequent investigation.

  As a bonus, it allowed the passengers to know what was

  happening. Ray slowed down and maneuvered the Jaguar alongside the massive Hevinian vessel. He felt like an ant alongside a Mack truck. He slowed to a crawl as he approached the bright red lights illuminating the landing bay. Kris could see the concentration on Ray’s

  face as he prepared to maneuver into the tiny opening. “Like threading a needle,” declared Andrea. There

  was a slight bump and a blue light enveloped them. “This is new,” said Kris.

  “Particle beam lariat,” said Ray, slightly surprised.

  He had read reports that they were developing the

  technology but didn’t know it was in use. At first, there

  was a struggle as his mind fought against the lariat’s

  control of the Jaguar but he forced himself to relax and

  allow the lariat to do its job. The beam guided the

  Jaguar effortlessly pulling it sideways toward the

  opening in the massive vessel. The Jaguar slid neatly

  into the landing bay, rotated 90 degrees, lined up with

  the marks and landed on the deck. As the Carvorite

  engine silently shut down, the exterior landing bay doors

  closed and a few seconds later, the blue light of the

  lariat went out and the interior landing lights went from

  red to green indicating an oxygen atmosphere. The

  overhead lights came on as massive partitions slid open

  to either side of them, revealing a massive maintenance

  space. Large doors in front of them opened and a party

  of white uniformed crew members marched in. Ray

  opened the door and the steps deployed just as the lines

  of the Hevinian Honor Guard halted and faced inward

  framing the door. Ray and Kris stepped out and stood to

  the side to allow the President and Mrs. Umberto room

  to step out of the Jaguar’s single door. At the door, they

  felt a slight giddiness as they took in a breath of

  Hevinian air. They had been briefed to expect this. The

  Hevinian atmosphere contained slightly less oxygen than

  Earth’s. Umberto recovered quickly and turned to help Andrea and to make sure she was ok. Andrea thanked Ray and, taking Williams hand, they stepped out of the Jaguar to be greeted by a tall woman in a crisp white uniform. Her six-foot-two height was accentuated by her slim body, short blond hair topping her chiseled

  features, and perfect Hevinian tan.

  “President and Mrs. Umberto, I am Fleet Admiral

  Kiman Goswan. Welcome aboard the Hevinian Battleship

  Janus. Please follow me,” she announced in English that

  was flawless.

  The Admiral led them between the rows of equally

  tall, immaculately uniformed men and women; their

  perfectly tanned skin contrasting with the white

  uniforms. At the end of the line was a gaggle of civilians,

  in the center of which was a tall broad-shouldered man

  in what could only be called casual clothes. He was

  wearing a long beige shirt over white loose-fitting pants

  and sandals. His blond curly hair and deep tan reminded

  William of the typical southern California beach bum.

  And then there was the smile. Politician, thought

  William, I’d recognize that smile anywhere.

  As they approached, the tall man moved forward

  away from the group and held out his hand. Feeling

  decidedly overdressed in his suit and tie, President

  Umberto took his hand and indicated openness to

  friendship in accordance with the Hevinian custom by

  holding it for a few extra seconds. Ray had explained the

  custom on the ride up. It was tricky, not unlike the

  Japanese gesture of bowing. Too much was insulting but

  too little showed indifference. The Hevinian was caught

  off guard by the gesture and smiled a truly genuine

  smile.

  “I am Welesdon Beltran, Hevinian Colonial Minister

  for this sectant. Welcome aboard, Mr. President.” He turned to Andrea, “Welcome aboard, Mrs.

  Umberto.”

  Andrea took his hand only for a split second. In

  Hevinian culture it was not customary for a woman to

  indicate openness to friendship with a man u
nless she

  was interested in a relationship. Had she done so it

  would have put Beltran in an awkward position. “May I introduce my…” he faltered, looking for the

  right word, “my deputy, Andrew Blaque.”

  They all shook hands. “If you would care to come

  with us, we have a small reception for you. Then we can

  all sit down and discuss our visit to your planet.” Beltran guided the Umbertos to a waiting antigrav

  transport. As the dignitaries left, the Honor Guard also

  filed onto their own transport and disappeared.

  Suddenly Ray and Kris were left on their own standing next to the Jaguar. They had decided to remain by the Jaguar and leave the politics to those more suited. Kris was looking around amazed at the size of the hangar.

  “You could fit an aircraft carrier in here and this is one of the smaller ships?”

  All around them were hundreds of vehicles of various sizes and shapes, some obviously utilitarian with open beds for hauling cargo and others built purely as transportation. Kris recognized several Barques. These fleet barges seemed to be the workhorses of the service. They were about three times the size of an eighteenwheeler on Earth and the same shape as an intermodal container since there was no need for streamlining or aerodynamics in space. The shoe box design gave them the capability of carrying multiple loads. There were other Jaguars and a few single riders nicknamed by the Battalion as Sharks. All were attached to the deck by flexible tubes and cables; some were opened to allow technicians to work on them. As neither of them had a real interest in engineering they began to feel a little bored after a few minutes and regretted not going with the President. Just as they were boarding the Jaguar to wait out the President a small open transport driven by a solitary crew member pulled up alongside them.

  “Mr. Wright, Mr. Blackstock; My name is Grent Corbyn. Welcome aboard the Janus. I am the ship’s Senior Administrative Technician and it is my distinct privilege to be your escort while your President is in conference. If you are hungry, we can go to a dining room. As you know we are omnivorous like yourselves and enjoy a variety of meats and vegetables.”

  “Great,” said Kris. “I’m starving, let’s go.”

  It took Corbyn a second or two to translate the unfamiliar word and then as he did he looked distressed.

  “It’s ok, Corbyn, Kris is not really starving, it’s just an Earth expression,” explained Ray.

  “Oh, good,” he said, relieved. “Shall we go then?”

  “You two go ahead. I would just like to sit somewhere and have a cup of Muska.”